There is something about a veteran pitcher who doesn't have the same stuff but still finds a way. The joy is knowing that every opposing fan is screaming at him. Baseball has a version of smoke, mirrors, trap doors, trick switches, and multiple doves. I'm sure those cheering against the White Sox think they can hit whatever Johnny Cueto is throwing, but they don't see the paid professionals go back to work.
In a day and age where more and more pitchers just get up there and throw it as hard as they can for as long as they can, it is a pleasure to watch the rare and rarer aging spell caster having to make it up as he goes.
Johnny Cueto has been a godsend for the White Sox this year, and has probably kept a season afloat for the rest of the roster. He gave up two runs in the first and only gave up two more the rest of the way, but he was still in the game until the eighth when he gave up a sacrifice fly to A and was taken out.
On the season, he had a 2.78ERA. There is a bit of noise in that but Cueto has been just goofy enough to dance through the rain. He hasn't given up more than three runs in a start this year and has only failed to complete sixinnings twice. He has only reached the 25 percent K-rate once in his career.
He does everything before he even throws a pitch, and that's how he found himself on the south side. The pitcher will throw a quick pitch, pull a Tiant, pause in mid- motion, and then throw one of the five or six pitches he has. He comes to life without the gunk or snot on the ball. Since his heyday, he has lost three MPH off his fastball, but this year he has been able to add some sweep to his pitch. The pitches are made on the fly by him.
Most pitchers will eventually break down as a result of Cueto's example, as they get by on electricity now. If they want to stay around, they will need to follow the example of The prestige. It is most likely because he is and doesn't know what he will do until he does it.
You get shuffled off when you get older. It's difficult for position players to stay in full-time roles past 30. Paul Goldschmidt is the only older hitter in the top 20. You can watch Johnny Cueto, who has been through it all, acting like a kid at recess on the mound, reaching into his endless bag of tricks and grinding out another way to get a hitter out. He has been the court jester this year and it has been fun to see if he can get the White Socks into the Playoffs.
A guy who was on the street in spring training had a good day. The wizards come from strange places.
It's in the other direction.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. He could switch to cricket if that happens.
We will finish it off by jumping over to the premier league, where Luis Diaz showed off some recess-like activity to pull the team back into the game. He only beats five guys before unleashing a defiant missile.
It wasn't enough for the Reds, who couldn't overcome the stupidity that put them down to 10 men. If you are going to get a disappointing draw, you need to do it tactful.
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